Russia Says Zelensky Is Welcome In Moscow As Negotiations Enter Critical Phase

The Kremlin said on Thursday that Russia has again invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to travel to Moscow for peace talks, as US-led diplomatic efforts to end the nearly four-year war in Ukraine gather pace.

The statement came on a day when Russia and Ukraine conducted their latest exchange of war dead, and hours after Moscow declined to comment on reports that the two sides may have agreed to halt strikes on each other’s energy infrastructure.

Abu Dhabi Talks Inject Momentum

US-mediated peace talks held in Abu Dhabi last weekend have lent renewed momentum to negotiations, though deep differences between Moscow and Kyiv remain unresolved. Fierce fighting continues on the ground, while Ukraine is grappling with widespread power outages following recent missile attacks.

An unnamed US official told Axios on Saturday that Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin were “very close” to agreeing on a meeting following the Abu Dhabi discussions.

Another round of talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations is scheduled to take place in Abu Dhabi on Sunday. US President Donald Trump, who has been pushing for an end to what he has called Europe’s biggest conflict since World War Two, said earlier this week that “very good things” were happening in the peace process.

Kremlin Says No Response Yet From Kyiv

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, quoted by the Interfax news agency, said Russia had yet to receive a response from Zelensky to its invitation.

Zelensky rejected a similar proposal last year, saying he could not travel to the capital of a country that was launching daily missile attacks on Ukraine. He suggested at the time that Putin visit Kyiv instead.

Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said on Wednesday that any meeting between the two leaders would need to be carefully prepared and focused on concrete outcomes. He added that Zelensky’s safety would be guaranteed if he travelled to Moscow.

Territorial Disputes Remain Central

Major sticking points persist, including disagreements over territorial control, the possible deployment of international peacekeepers or monitors in post-war Ukraine, and the future of the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the dispute over territory as the most difficult issue to resolve. Russia wants Ukrainian forces to withdraw from the roughly 20 per cent of the Donetsk region not currently under Russian control.

Kyiv has said it will not cede territory that Russia has not secured on the battlefield, arguing such concessions could enable further Russian advances in the future.

Ushakov said on Thursday that he did not believe the land issue was the only critical matter remaining in negotiations.

Lavrov Questions Security Guarantees, Kadyrov Rejects Talks

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed scepticism over any security guarantees Washington might offer Ukraine as part of a deal, questioning whether they could deliver lasting peace if they were intended to keep Ukraine’s current leadership in power.

Meanwhile, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, a close Kremlin ally, dismissed the prospect of negotiations altogether, reflecting the views of hardliners who believe Russia is prevailing militarily.

“I believe the war must be taken to its conclusion,” Kadyrov told reporters at the Kremlin. “I am against negotiations.”